Operation Normal
by thraxbaby
Summary: The summer after the final battle, Henry decides to give his mothers everything they missed out on in their childhoods, starting with traditional summer activities. Kinda Swanqueen. Okay, very swanqueen.
1. Chapter 1: S'mores

Regina, Emma, and Henry sat on the beach around a fire pit, each with a long forked stick in hand, roasting marshmallows over the fire. Regina had been against it at first, but upon being reminded by Henry that this was an indulgent moment for them, she grabbed a stick and began roasting. The Mills pair kept their marshmallows a bit away from the fire, so they could slowly roast to an even toasty brown. Unlike Emma, who engulfed her marshmallows in the flames, turning it instantly into a charred mess.

"Really, Miss Swan?" Regina spoke up, scrunching her nose in distaste. "You might as well be eating the coals. How can you stand eating them so burnt?" Emma shrugged.

"Your way takes too long." Emma complained.

"Our way gets better results. Here." Regina stuck another marshmallow on her stick and slowly toasted them to perfection. Henry, having been distracted by his mothers' banter, just barely avoided his perfectly toasted marshmallow falling into the fire. He squished the sticky treat between chocolate and graham crackers and took the first bite. Gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate oozed over the sides of the cracker and coated his face and hands in sticky sugary goodness. Yes, there was nothing quite like the first s'more of the summer.

"Henry, you got marshmallow everywhere." Regina said in a tone that made it sound like he was five years old again.

"That's kinda the point of s'mores, Mom." Henry grinned.

"You're just lucky I have wet wipes with me." Regina said.

"Of course you do." Emma grinned, because leave it to Regina to constantly be in mom mode..

Emma and Regina's marshmallows were soon deemed perfect and their own s'mores were constructed. Emma went into it much like Henry did, getting sticky marshmallow all over her lower face, while Regina tried her best to find an angle that didn't get her sticky like her current company.

"Just bite it, Regina." Emma said once her s'more was swallowed down. "Getting a little messy for a minute won't kill you." Regina could still hear her mother's voice telling her to keep clean, even after all this time, but doing things differently was the point of their summer. Regina took a bite and felt the stickiness coat her lips and chin and cheeks. The treat itself was delicious; she always did have a sweet tooth. That, combined with the salty sea air, the cool breeze, and the warmth of the fire sent a calmness Regina had barely known until recently. Getting the wipes out, Regina cleaned up her face and set the pack aside for the others to use.

This was nice. Her son and her best friend, on the beach enjoying themselves. As she got lost in thought, she noticed Emma's face change from calm to mischievous.

"Hey, Henry." Emma gained his attention and began making kissy faces, moving her sticky face closer to his.

"No!" Henry laughed, leaning away from his blonde mother. He looked to his other mother for help. Regina just watched their antics with an amused shake of her head.

"Mo-om!" Henry voiced in the same tone as Emma just did. Henry made his own kissy faces, but instead of a scared reaction, Regina merely gently held his face still and pulled out a wet wipe to clean his face. "Mom!" Regina smiled, satisfied that she avoided getting sticky once more. At least until she felt sticky lips press a kiss on her left cheek. Her eyes went wide and she looked to Emma who grinned like an idiot.

"Emma!" Regina said, shocked at the fact that Emma kissed her just to get marshmallow on her face. Emma just laughed, looking victorious.

"Haha! Yes!" Emma cheered, her fists pumped into the air in her mirth. Regina rolled her eyes as she wiped her face once more.

Regina reminded them not to eat too much as her two companions started on another s'more.

"And no more sticky kisses!" Regina warned. "It's like getting kisses from a four-year-old again." This then turned into story time, where Regina told stories of Henry when he was a small child. "I don't know why he was always so sticky!" Regina laughed.

Yes, this summer was going to be a great one, all three of them felt it.


	2. Chapter 2: Swimming

"I can't believe you're actually bringing that." Henry commented on Emma's choice in pool toys. Emma paused from her taxing job of inflating her new swan floaty.

"What do you mean? You know I couldn't resist." Emma answered, then resumed inflating the flotation device. Henry gave his blonde mother an eyeroll that would make Regina proud and continued his way towards the Storybrooke community pool.

Once there, they split to go into their respective locker rooms and changed out of their regular clothes. Emma looked herself over in the mirror, checking for any wardrobe malfunctions. She liked her new red bikini. Simple, yet sexy, but not too sexy. It was stylish enough for her to look good, but not so revealing that she'd embarrass her teenage son. Just then, her phone pinged. She checked it, in case it was important. It was Regina.

 _I'm almost there. Wait for me?_

Emma texted her reply of _ok_ before stowing her phone in the locker. Emma stood outside the locker room, waiting for Regina to arrive. Henry was already doing cannon balls off the high dive and Emma was cheering him on when a familiar voice distracted her.

"I can't believe you brought that thing." Emma turned around to defend her choice in floaties, but her jaw dropped at the sight before her. Regina was looking absolutely stunning in her strapless bikini. The brightly colored swim suit, the sunglasses, the naturally curly hair... Emma was speechless. Regina smirked and tapped Emma's chin up to close her open mouth and sauntered over to the steps of the pool with a little extra sway to her hips, Emma noticed. Emma blinked a few times and followed after her friend, her swan floaty around her hips.

"Emma! Bet I can do a bigger splash than you!" Henry yelled out from the diving boards.

"You're on! Loser buys the winner ice cream!" Emma shouted back. Emma looked down at her floaty, then at Regina. She removed the floaty from around her waist and handed it to Regina. "Guard it with your life."

"Will do." Regina answered with a little sarcasm. Emma fast walked - because running in the pool was a bad idea - towards Henry.

Several cannon balls and a bellyflop later, the two of them swam towards Regina, who had taken over the swan floaty. She was lounging gracefully over the floaty, soaking up the sun's rays.

"I knew you couldn't resist." Emma remarked.

"I suppose it has its uses." Regina responded. "But you're not getting it back."

"Hey! I'm the one who inflated it with my own two lungs!" Emma replied, "It's mine!"

"And your efforts have not gone unnoticed, but didn't you know? All swans belong to the queen." Regina's gaze sparked a warmth in Emma. Was... was she flirting? There was only one way to find out.

"Oh, really? I thought that only applied in England?" Emma questioned, an amused look on her face.

"No, it was common knowledge in the Enchanted Forest. They were also quite delicious." Regina's lips quirked up and Emma _knew_ Regina was flirting. That was a euphemism if she ever heard one.

Henry had left the scene once he realized his mothers were flirting. It was nice that they were getting along, but at the same time, he did _not_ need to hear any of that. He found one of his friends and went over to shoot water out of a pool noodle with him.

Meanwhile, Emma and Regina continued flirting in a way that felt so natural. Which made Emma wonder if they did this all the time? Thinking back, they kind of did. Then, what was Emma to do about it? Snapping out of her thoughts, she saw that Regina was watching Henry. It was the perfect distraction. There was a screech and a splash and a very wet and angry queen rose from the water to see Emma had taken back her floaty. Regina was not a woman who gave up without a fight.

As Emma reclaimed her "throne", a burst of water sent Emma flying into the air.

"No magic in the pool!" The lifeguard shouted.

Emma splashed back into the water, and like Regina, came up to find the other woman had reclaimed the floating swan. Emma pouted. She'd gotten that floaty for herself. She'd spent ten minutes blowing the thing up. Regina hadn't even liked it when she first saw Emma with it. Why did she want it now?

Regina looked at Emma's face and sighed. She hadn't meant to make Emma sad. With a wave of her hand, Emma was lounging on an identical floaty. The smile returned to Emma's face and the two of them lounged in the water.

* * *

Once the three of them began to prune and two out of three stomachs began to grumble, the trio dried off and headed to Granny's for lunch. Henry insisted they all get the ravioli because "it was tradition". Regina had explained to a confused Emma that in the past, Henry used to eat ravioli after swimming. He had insisted on it and soon it became his own tradition for the summer.

Emma gave in and ordered the ravioli. It was no Chef Boyardee, but it was nice and filling after the War for the Swan, a battle that shall go down in history as the messiest battle for inflatable water fowl. Okay, maybe hunger made her a little dramatic, but she had always wanted a swan floaty!

Throughout lunch, Emma noticed Regina glancing at her. Their flirting back at the pool, Regina's glances... She had to do something about this, right? Right? Emma got an idea. Emma called a waitress over and ordered them all an ice cream sundae to share. Regina raised an eyebrow, but Emma knew she had a weakness for chocolate ice cream.

The ice cream was the perfect ending to their outing. Emma walked them home and once Henry clomped up the stairs, Emma made her move.

"Today was great." Emma commented.

"Yes," Regina agreed, "and I'm sorry for taking your swan. I didn't mean to make you upset."

"It's fine. You know no one riles me up quite like you do." Emma laughed nervously. "And about that thing you mentioned earlier, about the swans?"

"Yes, what about it?" Regina questioned.

"Well, maybe that doesn't sound like such a bad thing..." Emma said.

"Emma, what are you saying?" Regina's heart beat fast at the idea that Emma might just feel the same way.

"That maybe this swan would like to be yours. If you'd have me?" Emma looked at Regina hopefully. Regina's eyes teared up and a thousand-watt smile lit up her face.

"Of course I would." Regina breathed.

"So, are you free Saturday? Say, at 7? I'd like to take you out for dinner." Emma said.

"Yes, that sounds lovely." Regina replied.

"Great. Saturday at 7. See you then." Emma started walking away.

"Hopefully before then." Regina said, her voice obviously flirty. Emma smiled.

"Yeah, hopefully."

 **A.N.: I meant to make chapter 2 about camping, but through extreme stupidity of mine, I accidentally erased half the chapter and was too salty to re-write it. It'll be chapter 3 instead.**

 **Ever since I saw Emilie with that swan queen floaty, I wanted one for my own so badly... even though we don't have a pool...**

 **Also, Henry's tradition of eating ravioli after swimming is something my sister and I did one summer. Our mom got a big pack of Chef Boyardee ravioli from Costco and for an entire summer, it was all we ate for lunch. That, and microwave burritos.**


	3. Chapter 3: Camping

The Robin Locksley Memorial campsite was Regina's idea. The campsite where Robin and his Merry Men had stayed while in Storybrooke was turned into a campsite a couple months back for anyone wanting a weekend away in the woods. In addition to sectioned campsites, there was a rangers station, a building with showers and bathrooms, and even Roland's Corner, which was a play area for young children. A river flowed through the northern edge of the site and there were trails leading up to Firefly Hill. It was the perfect getaway for all of Storybrooke.

The Swan/Mills group had the biggest campsite, or the "Locksley Suite" as it was called. There was a flat area for the tent and a fire pit. They pulled up to their spot in David's borrowed truck and started unpacking. Emma was in charge of setting up the tent, Henry got their bags, and Regina set up their cooking equipment. Regina and Henry took a mere five minutes to do their job, but it seemed Emma was having difficulties with hers.

"Let's see... This piece is connected to this thing..." Emma mumbled to herself.

"You're setting up a tent, dear, not building a skeleton. What's taking so long?" Regina questioned.

"It's fine. I got this." Emma said, her eyebrows scrunching with concentration.

"Here, let me help." Regina held the tent poles still so Emma could slide them through the loops at the top of the tent, then helped her drive in the stakes to keep the tent from flying away. They then set up their sleeping bags (and Regina's air mattress), moved their overnight bags into the tent, then set off towards the river.

The water was crisp and cool and crystal clear. A few families were enjoying themselves by dipping their feet in the water. Ashley and Sean were there with little Alexandra, as were Philip and Aurora with their son. The kids were having a blast in the water and eventually roped Henry into their fun. Regina simply stood under the shade of a tree and watched her Prince play with the children. He'd be a good big brother if either she or Emma ever had another child. Regina was about to comment on just that when she saw that Emma's attention was elsewhere. Emma was looking over at the bridge that spanned across a wider part of the river.

"What is it, dear?" Regina asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. It's stupid." Emma shrugged, but Emma didn't give that look to just anything.

"I'm sure it's not stupid. Just tell me." Regina said, putting a hand on her arm.

"It's just... have you ever heard of Pooh sticks?" Regina shook her head. "Well, it's a game Winnie the Pooh played with his friends. You stand on a bridge and drop a stick or a pine cone off the side. Whoever's stick comes out the other side first wins. As a kid, I've always wanted to play it, but I never got the chance. And since we're doing all the stuff we never got to do as a kid this summer..." Regina smiled. She was glad that Emma opened up to her.

"If you want to play Pooh sticks, we'll play Pooh sticks." Regina said. She reached for Emma's hand and held it in hers as they walked over to the bridge. They each picked up a stick from the ground and got into position.

"Ready? On three. One... two... three!" They dropped their sticks and ran to the other side of the bridge. Their sticks floated into view, Emma's in the lead.

"I won!" Emma cheered. Regina smiled at Emma's childlike glee. "One more time?" Their second round attracted Alexandra, who won the third round. Philip Jr. joined the fourth, and eventually, all the kids in the camp were playing Pooh sticks.

* * *

After a quick lunch, the Swan/Mills trio hit the trails. The hiking trail snaked its way around the mountain until it's end up at Firefly Hill. Birdhouses from the local elementary school lined the trees along the way, giving homes to birds and giving the people good photo opportunities. Signs gave facts and warnings about the local flora and fauna and pointed out particularly photogenic views. All-in-all, it was a great family bonding experience.

Well, it was.

Regina hadn't been paying attention when she tripped over a root and fell.

"Mom! Are you okay?" Henry asked.

"I'm fine. I just-" Regina grimaced in pain.

"What's wrong, Regina? Is it your ankle?" Emma asked. Regina nodded. "Let me help you up. We'll take you over to the nurse's station back at the camp and-"

"No! I promised to do this hike, and I'm going to finish it." Regina said stubbornly.

"Regina, if you're hurt-" Regina cut Emma off.

"Emma, I am fine. I'm sure it's just a sprain." Regina pulled herself to her feet and used Emma as support as they slowly hiked the rest of the trail.

The top of Firefly Hill was the most romantic spot in Storybrooke. It not only overlooked the entire town and the forest surrounding it, but it was the perfect spot to watch the sunset. Not to mention the fireflies that lit up the air at night. It was like the lantern scene in Tangled, but smaller. Emma was trying to get kids to ditch the place so she could take Regina there for a date in the future. At the moment, the sun was barely starting to descend and they had to be sure to get back to the camp before it got too dark.

Regina settled on a fallen log and massaged her ankle.

"Here, let me." Emma said. She gingerly removed Regina's shoe and gently massaged the hurt ankle. It was definitely swollen, and Emma could see the beginnings of a bruise. It was probably sprained, but they wouldn't know for sure until they got it checked out. Emma wanted to heal it for her, but she would need to know exactly what was wrong before she tried to fix it.

They spent some time on the hill, then decided they should get going. Emma helped Regina walk the two mile long trail back to the camp.

* * *

"I can't believe you walked that trail with a fractured ankle." Emma said, shaking her head. The second they got back to camp, Regina and Emma drove the short distance down to the nurse's office at the ranger's station. A quick check with a portable x-ray machine revealed a tiny fracture in Regina's ankle. It was wrapped up and Regina was instructed to stay off her feet, so there she was, sitting in a camping chair with her injured ankle elevated, instructing Emma and Henry on how to make their dinner on the portable gas stove.

"I've dealt with worse." Regina replied with an eyeroll.

"Still! We should not have walked three miles with your ankle injured." Emma said, flipping a burger patty.

"Emma, I'm fine. Really. What's important is that we made some good memories." Regina looked down at her phone, a new picture as her home screen. It was the three of them at the top of Firefly Hill, smiling and having fun. Her lock screen, naturally, was the picture she took moments before the other, of Emma and her kissing.

"Well, the patties are ready. How do you take your burgers, Your Majesty?" Regina instructed Emma on how to make her burger and they all sat together, enjoying their meal.

After dinner, they gathered around the campfire for a desert of campfire banana splits and then a very important camping tradition: scary stories. Henry brought out a book of scary stories and a flashlight. According to Henry, that book got the highest rating on Amazon and was guaranteed to give them nightmares. The flashlight was more for dramatic lighting effects than helping him read.

These were different than the kind of stories they'd grown up hearing. Sure they sounded just as fake as the rest, but as the fire began to die, and they got snuggled up in their sleeping bags, it was all they could think about. Regina curled up on her air mattress, wondering if each swish of the trees or every crackle was a skinwalker or a wendigo. She bit her lip. She was an adult! She should not be scared of a story her son told over a campfire. Then again, she found how easily belief could make something real. Magic _was_ real in this world. How did she know if the tales were true?

"Emma?" Regina whispered into the darkness.

"Yeah?" Emma whispered back.

"You can't sleep, either?" Regina asked.

"Nope. The kid's going to be grounded for life for reading us those stories." Emma replied.

"Agreed."

"Want me to... Can I..." Emma mumbled.

"Can you keep me safe tonight, Savior?" Regina asked.

"Sure. Unzip first." They unzipped their sleeping bags and used them to make one big one. Inside, they spooned together, Regina curled up with Emma's arms around her.

"Try to sleep. I'll protect you." Emma whispered. Regina settled in Emma's arms and with her scent surrounding her, Regina finally fell asleep.

 **A.N: Shout out to my aunt who actually fractured her ankle and still went with us to the beach. That, along with someone who commented inspired that part of the chapter.**

 **Also, my favorite scary stories are the ones that sneak up on you. At first, you don't pay them much attention. They're just like any old ghost story you've heard, but once you're trying to sleep and the lights are out, suddenly they're all you can think of and you're terrified. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4: The Mall

Storybrooke was much too small for a mall. At the most, it had it's shops on Main Street, but not much else. The Swan/ Mills trio had to drive out of town to find a mall. The air conditioned building was a relief from the sweltering summer heat. For most people, the mall was a staple for teen hangouts, but the three visiting today had little experience. Emma had been a few times, but she was banned for life from a mall in Minnesota for shoplifting too many things. This day was to be a new, positive experience for all.

The trio weaved through the crowds, looking at the clothing displayed in the windows of shops and avoiding eye contact with kiosk vendors. They passed by a shop with expensive clothing displayed when Regina slowed down.

"Hold on, I want to look in here." Regina said.

"I'm going to be in the shop across the way." Henry said, pointing to the shoe store. "I need new shoes."

"Okay, dear. Be careful." Regina said. She was uneasy with letting him go off on his own in a new and unknown environment, but Henry was independent and needed his freedom. Emma followed Regina into the store and helped her pick out some outfits. They took the chosen clothing into the dressing room and Emma waited for her own personal fashion show.

The first outfit was a grey blouse with a maroon pair of slacks and a matching blazer. Regina spun around, letting Emma see every angle of the outfit.

"What do you think? I quite like the cut of the pants." Regina said.

"Very chic, Madame Mayor." Emma commented. Regina did her cute nose scrunchy smile and went back to the changing room. The next one was a cute blouse and slacks. It was a bit more casual, but not lazy Sunday casual. Emma whistled, Regina laughed.

"I was thinking of wearing this to the meeting next Friday." Regina commented. "Do you like it?"

"Absolutely. You look great." Emma said. Regina blushed and tried on the next outfit. The last outfit took Emma's breath away. It was a little black dress. Sexy, lacy, and went down to mid-thigh. The cut made it look like it was two pieces, with the upper midriff showing, but black lace held it together as one. The straps were made of black lace as well, looking feminine, sexy, and fashionable. Emma had yet to pick her jaw up from the floor and Regina smirked.

"I'm going to assume this gets the Swan Seal of Approval?" Regina teased. Emma could only nod, having been rendered speechless by the beauty before her.

* * *

The Swan/Mills trio declared their day of shopping a success. They were on their way to the food court when Regina sensed that Emma had fallen behind. She stopped and looked behind them, only to find Emma staring wistfully at a brightly-colored shop. Build-a-Bear Workshop.

"Emma?" Regina tried to get her attention.

"I've always wanted to go there, but none of my foster parents wanted to spend that much money on me." Emma said.

"Would you like one?" Regina questioned. When Emma looked at her, Regina could practically see stars in her eyes.

"Really?" Emma asked, the lost girl part of her evident in her voice. Regina smiled and nodded. "You have to make one, too." Emma said.

"Very well. Let's go." Regina took Emma's hand and they walked into the shop. Emma told Regina she couldn't see what she made until they were done, so Regina waited a few minutes before making her own. Twenty minutes later, they stood in line to pay for their creations.

"Ready?" Emma asked, holding her stuffed animal behind her back. Regina nodded, doing the same. "Regina, meet...Emma Jr.!" Emma pulled the toy from behind her back. It was a duck wearing a plaid shirt and jeans - a very Emma outfit. Emma held it out to Regina. "I made her for you." Regina smiled and took the toy.

"It seems we had similar ideas." Regina showed Emma her creation. A panda plush was dressed in a blue princess dress and a tiara. Emma took the panda and felt a huge grin spread across her face. They both made each other little versions of them to give to the other. God, this woman was perfect.

"She's cute." Emma commented on the bear. Beargina, if you will.

"Yes, well, none of the clothing options quite matched my style, though this one reminded me of one of my favorite dresses from when I was younger." Regina explained. Henry came up behind them. It seemed he had made one as well. "For Violet" he had explained with a blush. They paid for the plush toys and left the store.

They finally made their way to the food court. After a bit of discussing and a couple rounds of rock paper scissors, they settled on Chinese and ordered their food. They sat together to eat their lunch, and throughout the meal, Regina noticed Emma would constantly touch the bear, like she was making sure it was still there. Every time she did it, a small smile would grace Emma's lips.

Regina knew Emma wasn't going to let the bear out of her sight for a long while. It was probably going to take pride of place on the blonde's bed, keeping watch over her while she slept. Regina knew Emma had a Pac Man ghost plush at home that she slept with. It was one of her darkest secrets that she trusted to Regina only. Regina had revealed that she wished she had things like that as a girl. After a certain age, Cora had thrown all her toys away, claiming Regina was too old for them. It seemed Emma had remembered that. She, too, will be enjoying her Swan tonight.

 **A.N.: There was a summer when I was little that we would go to the mall almost every weekend. We would go see a movie or just enjoy Barnes and Noble or the Disney store. I had a tradition of always buying Jordan almonds before going into B &N and buying an American Girl magazine. **

**Also, I, too, have never been to Build-a-Bear. Someone take me. I want my own Beargina.**


	5. Chapter 5: Fireworks

If you asked Emma Swan, there was no smell more iconic of summer than meat grilling on a barbecue. She and David manned the barbecues as the town gathered around the lake for the annual 4th of July party. The park by the ocean - recently expanded to include a sprawling green field, a larger play area, a couple of barbecues, and plenty of picnic tables - was packed with people. They were down on the beach, they were running around the field, they were socializing at the tables. There were tents set up, where Snow, Belle, and Zelena had their kids out of the sun. Looking around, Emma spotted Regina and Henry by the water, feeding the seagulls.

Emma felt butterflies in her stomach, watching Regina. Today, She was wearing a sleeveless red button up shirt that was tied at the bottom and blue denim shorts, diamond earrings glittering like stars. Tasteful and patriotic. Regina seemed to have felt Emma's gaze because she turned and smiled at the blonde at the barbecue. Regina turned back to say something to Henry before making her way to Emma.

"Something smells good." Regina said as she slipped an arm around Emma's waist. She leant in to whisper the rest in her ear, "and it isn't the food." Emma smiled her signature goofy grin and blushed.

"Nah, I smell like smoke and sweat." Emma said.

"Is the food ready?" Regina asked.

"Looks ready. Lemme guess... Turkey burger?" Emma asked, plating a turkey burger patty from the grill.

"You know me so well." Regina smiled before going to fix her burger high with veggies. Instead of going to sit at the picnic tables, Regina returned to Emma's side and fed her the occasional bite of her burger until Emma was done cooking the meat. By then, most everyone had sat down to eat. Emma, Regina, and Henry sat together under the shade of a tree, enjoying their food. Emma had a burger similar to Regina's because her girlfriend made a damn good burger. Henry, their ever-growing teenager, ate two whole steaks and half a hot dog. The other half was snatched away by David and Snow's new German Shepard puppy.

"This is nice." Regina had voiced. Henry had run off with his friends for a water gun battle. They watched their teenager run and laugh with his friends. "We never had anything like this back in the Enchanted Forest. There was Snow's birthday, summer Solstace, Harvest time, and Yule. Anything else was a wedding or a ball. Though I never really had fun at any of them."

"I know how you feel." Emma replied. "Most holidays were just depressing and further reminded me that I didn't have a real family. Most July 4th's, I was going to different parks and pretending I knew the families so I could get food. When I got older, I was getting my hands on illegal fireworks to sell to kids around the neighborhood."

"And look at us now." Regina smiled and held Emma's hand. Emma smiled back. Their little romantic bubble popped when a cold spray of water splashed the side of Emma's head. Emma gasped and looked to see a group of teenagers frozen in place. It seemed their water war had gotten a little too close to the others and one of them missed their target. Henry was in the middle of them, looking sheepish.

"Sorry, ma." He said.

"You are so paying for that, Kid!" Emma laughed, taking one of their water guns and spraying cold water back at her son. He screamed and ran for cover. Regina laughed and shook her head.

"Mayor Mills?" Violet held out an extra water gun to her. Regina bit her lip, feeling she should be the controlled Mayor, but _wanting_ to join Emma and her son. She threw care to the wind and took the water gun with a smile. She ran into the fight, guns pumping and spraying Emma and her team. Before she knew it, David joined in. Then Snow. Then Zelena. When there were no extra water guns available, water balloons were filled and provided. Regina knew those water balloons were going to be a bitch to clean up, but in that moment, She didn't care. She was having fun!

* * *

The water war had burned everyone out. They laid on blankets on the grass, wrapped in towels, and waited for the sun to set. Leroy and a couple other dwarves were out on the water, getting ready for the fireworks display. They had to set them off at sea because literally anywhere else in Storybrooke could potentially burn down the entire forest. Once the sun had sunk just below the horizon, music started up over some speakers and the first firework went off. Everyone's attention went to the darkening sky as bursts of red, blue, and gold exploded in the air.

Emma felt slim fingers tangle with her own and a sweet-smelling head with damp hair leaned against her shoulder. Emma leaned her own head against Regina's and enjoyed the light show.

"This is so beautiful." Regina whispered. Emma looked over at her. The fireworks reflected in warm eyes, Regina's air-drying hair began to curl like crazy, she was makeup free, and a soft amazed look took over her features.

"Yes, you are." Emma whispered back. It took a few seconds for Regina to realize what Emma had said, but when she did, she smiled her nose-scrunchy smile and kissed Emma on the lips.

 **A.N.: For as long as I can remember, until I was 12/13, every 4th of July, we'd go to my parent's friend's house. They lived on a lake and I loved riding on their boat, having water balloon fights with the older kids, and sitting on the boat while watching the fireworks. And it wasn't the 4th of July unless Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA was playing.**


	6. Chapter 6: Family Vacation

It was the ultimate family trip. The one thing that none of the combination Swan/Mills/Charming family had ever been able to do. They planned for two weeks straight, packing and re-packing, lists were checked five times over, calls were made. Regina, Henry, Emma, Snow, David, Neal, Zelena, and Robin were all taking the nearly five hour flight to Orlando for a week-long vacation in Disney World. Regina made sure to get the best of everything, from rooms to tickets. They would have full access to all the parks, get into the faster lines, and dine in any of the multiple restaurants. Regina did extensive research and found the perfect restaurant to take Emma for a date.

Everyone was beyond excited, except for Zelena. She was happy to go with her family, but never had the memories of this world to really understand the hype of anything Disney.

The day came and it was like the beginning of Home Alone - everyone was rushing to get everything and everyone into the Charming family van and Regina's Mercedes and get to the airport on time. However, Regina was the calm in the storm. If it weren't for her, Emma would have left her phone, charger, and shoes at home. After triple checking that no kids were left at home, they set off towards the airport in Portland.

The flight was long, but Regina, Henry, and Emma didn't have to deal with crying babies up in first class. Regina laughed at Emma's enthusiasm at how roomy the first class seats were. There was no large man drooling on her, there were no crying babies, no cramped seats. Regina was going to spoil her, Emma was quickly learning.

* * *

"You did this on purpose." Emma said, looking up at the hotel. The Disney World _Swan_ Resort. Regina merely winked (or at least she attempted to) and went in to the hotel lobby to check in. The staff were very friendly and helpful with finding their room and taking their luggage.

Their room was nice, a Grand Suite with two bedrooms with a queen-sized bed, a little balcony off the living room where Emma could see her and Regina eating breakfast early in the morning, a huge TV with a video game console, a wet bar, and plenty of space. It was perfect. The only problem now was: where to start?

Their hotel was right next to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, so the logical choice was one of those, but maybe their family wanted to meet up for lunch first? The rest of their family was staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge; Regina thought the kids would like the animals. Henry even asked if he could stay a night in one of their rooms so he could see the giraffes.

"We're meeting everyone at Epcot. Do you have any preference for lunch?" Regina questioned.

"You know I'm down for anything." Emma replied with a smile.

They all walked through the World Showcase until something caught their attention. This ended up being a Mexican restaurant called San Angel Inn. The food was amazing. Regina and Emma shared an appetizer of shrimp cocktail before their main meal. Emma had the enchiladas and Regina ate the Sopa Azteca. For dessert, they cooled off with Helado de Dulce de Leche.

After lunch, they braved the Florida heat and explored Epcot. Upon coming to the signature "golf ball" Emma was shocked to find out there was a ride inside.

"There's a ride in there?! I always thought it was just a fancy giant golf ball decoration!" Emma looked up at the structure she'd only ever seen on TV.

"Why on Earth would Disney just have a giant golf ball?" Regina raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know! I've only seen pictures on TV! It's not like they explained what was in it!" Emma blushed. She would see pictures of the Disney parks as a kid and know she would never be able to go. No one would ever want to spend that much money on her. No one would want her, period. But Regina... Regina was making all of her childhood dreams come true, including having a family.

Regina smiled at her girlfriend and took her hand, leading her to the line for Spaceship Earth.

* * *

Regina felt nervous. Truthfully, she always felt nervous before a date with Emma. Their dates always ended successfully, and logically she knew there was no need to worry, but old habits die hard. After their day exploring Epcot, Henry went back with Snow and David for dinner so Regina and Emma could have some alone time. They were going to dine in one of the restaurants in the hotel for their date. This would be their fifth date since getting together and Regina was ready to take their relationship to the next level. Regina heard Emma finishing up in the bathroom and dried her hands on her dress. Emma exited the bathroom and some of Regina's nerves dissipated. She smiled and looked over the sight.

"You look beautiful, darling." Regina said. Emma's hair was curled like she used to wear it when they first met, her blush-colored dress was short but tasteful and matching heels gave her a couple extra inches in height. Emma smiled.

"I'm nothing compared to you." Emma said. Regina wore her hair swept to one side and her deep purple dress hugged her curves beautifully.

"Nonsense. You're more beautiful than you know. Shall we?" Regina grabbed her clutch and they went down to the hotel restaurant.

It was quite the romantic evening. The two women talked about everything while dining on sushi. Kimonos had caught Regina's interest when researching restaurants. She'd never had sushi. Storybrooke didn't have a sushi place and it simply never existed back in the Enchanted Forest. After the curse broke and Storybrooke stepped out of the perpetual 80s prison and began to modernize, she had gotten curious of different culture's cuisines. Unfortunately, there was never time for culinary exploration between fighting villains and breaking curses. Until now.

"This is really good." Emma commented around a bite of sushi. Regina hummed her agreement. It wasn't long before they finished their cocktails, paid for their meal, and returned to their hotel room. Light kissing quickly turned into more, but not before Emma gave Regina a questioning look, silently asking if she wanted what was about to happen. Regina nodded and they moved to the bedroom. Hours later, the two of them fell asleep feeling light and sated.

The next morning, Emma woke to find Regina gone from their bed, but the door was open and the smell of fresh coffee called to her. Upon coming out to the main room, Emma was met with a delectable sight. Regina was in her silk nightgown and robe, pouring two mugs of coffee.

"Good morning, dear. I had breakfast called up here. Join me on the balcony?" Regina gave Emma her mug and motioned for Emma to make herself a plate with the food on the platter that sat on the counter. Emma piled her plate with eggs, sausage, and toast and sat with Regina at the little table on the balcony.

"So... last night..." Emma started before stuffing her mouth with eggs.

"Last night was... quite enjoyable." Regina smiled.

" _Only_ quite enjoyable? I think you mean the best night of your life." Emma grinned. Regina giggled.

"It was _one_ of the best." Regina admitted. She sipped her coffee to hide the blush the memories of last night caused. Emma smiled proudly to herself and finished her breakfast. She was beginning to wonder if there was time for another round in the bedroom when the door opened and Henry ran in.

"Moms! You should have seen it! The giraffes went right up to our window!" Henry told them all about his morning. "Neal loved them. He giggled every time they came close."

* * *

The family vacation was filled with memories. They especially had the time of their lives in the Magic Kingdom, where they made a game of taking pictures with characters they knew back home. Regina especially had a blast with a Snow White figurine, which she got a picture of her mock strangling it. She also may have sent it to Snow... Snow sent back a picture of her and the Snow White character actress and a crying Neal. Apparently, he had a tough time distinguishing the two and it overloaded his baby brain.

On the last evening, they stood on Main Street, hands connected, watching the firework show. Regina looked over to Emma. They both wore matching Mickey ear hats, as was Henry's request. Regina tried to fight them, but in the end, she chose a hat based on her character. It was black and purple and the ears were decorated like the movie's poison apples. Emma had wanted the same, and Henry chose the traditional red and black ears.

"You okay?" Emma asked when she noticed Regina wasn't watching the show.

"Move in with me!" Regina blurted. "I mean... I know we have only been dating for a couple months, but really, we've been family for much longer. And you practically live there, anyway, but I want it to be official." Emma grinned.

"Yeah. I'll move in with you." They kissed and the firework finale could easily be mistaken for the True Love effect.

 **A.N.: I think there will be at most two more chapters in this story.**

 **My only experience with Disney World is through Justin Scarred's Randomland videos on YouTube. You should check him out. He's funny, sweet, and knows a LOT about Disney. His channel name is JustinScarred.**


	7. Chapter 7: Rainy Day

It was Saturday morning in the Mills household. Regina was stirring up some pancake batter, while Henry and Emma sat on the couch in the living room watching Duck Tales. From the kitchen, Regina faintly heard Emma comment how great it felt that she could be sitting there with her son, watching Saturday morning cartoons, especially a cartoon that had been around when Emma was young. This was what Emma had once dreamed of: watching cartoons with her own kid, sharing the good bits of her childhood.

"Life is like a hurricane, here in Duck Burg, Race cars, lasers, aeroplanes, it's a duck blur!" The TV played, signaling the beginning of another episode.

"Might solve a mystery," Reging sang softly to herself, "Or rewrite history! Duck Tales, woo-oo!" Regina remembered watching the original show when Henry was just a toddler. Even after all this time, no one could forget the words to that theme song. She flipped a pancake on the griddle and sang along to the song from the TV.

Two arms wrapped themselves around Regina's waist, causing the woman to gasp, both from the surprise and having been caught singing. The familiar scent of her girlfriend enveloped her and calmed her a bit.

"You're super cute, you know that?" Emma whispered in Regina's ear. Regina only huffed, still embarrassed that she got caught. Emma grinned, understanding Regina's actions. "Who would have known the Queen likes Duck Tales? I bet you Scrooge McDuck-ed it up back in the Enchanted Forest and swam in a money pit."

"Of course not," Regina reacted, then deepened her voice as she did when she spoke as the Evil Queen, "I bathed in the blood of my enemies." Emma merely snorted.

"Yeah, sure you did." Regina felt relieved that Emma didn't believe that. Most people would have, then they'd run far, far away. How did she get so lucky to get a woman like Emma Swan?

In a single second, thunder cracked and the heavens burst, dumping gallons of water over the entirety of Storybrooke. The sudden noise made the women jump.

"I knew we were expecting a storm," Regina said, "but I didn't expect it to be so sudden. I hope the power doesn't go out." Regina felt Emma's hold around her waist tighten just a little.

"I never liked storms." Emma mumbled into her girlfriend's hair. Regina patted Emma's arm.

"I hope pancakes will help." Regina said, plating some pancakes. There were sausage links sizzling on the backburner, which Regina added to Emma's plate. "Call Henry in here, please?" Emma nodded, kissed Regina's cheek and went to the living room to get Henry away from the TV and into the dining room.

The thunderstorm continued as they ate breakfast. Every boom of thunder made them jump, the rain pounding the house was deafening. Both mother and son noticed the distress on Emma's face. Regina thought back to when Henry used to be frightened of thunderstorms. He'd run right into her arms the second he heard the rain. She tried everything to help him not be so afraid - board games, movies, reading, blanket forts. Sometimes they worked, sometimes not.

Regina picked up the empty plates, Emma right on her heels. Emma stayed close, helping with the dishes, then following Regina upstairs, not really sure what she was doing, but just wanting to be with her. Regina went up to the attic and began dusting off a pile of board games.

"Do you want to play a game?" Regina asked.

"Umm... sure. How about Life and Clue?" Regina nodded and pulled them out of the pile. They brought the games down to the living room.

"We're playing Life? Watch out, Emma. Mom cheats at that game." Henry warned.

"I do not!" Regina frowned.

"How do you cheat at Life?" Emma asked.

"Last time we played, she ended up with two SUVs full of babies." Henry replied, raising an eyebrow. Regina blushed and looked away.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Regina said. Emma laughed and shook her head. The board was set up and the pieces chosen. They each spun the spinner to see who went first. Emma got the highest number, so she started on the career path. They each took their turns, spinning the spinner and moving their van pieces down the road. When Regina stopped her van at the marriage space and stuck the pink peg in her van beside her own pink peg, it got Emma thinking. She loved Regina. Regina loved her. It was only natural that they married eventually, right? It warmed her heart, imagining watching Regina walk down the aisle in a gorgeous white dress. Or would she just want to elope? Just a tiny ceremony with their son in a courthouse?

"Emma! Your turn!" Henry snapped, trying to get Her attention. Emma shook her head and took her turn, choosing between two houses. Mobile home or mansion? Mansion, definitely! Emma paid for her house and Regina took her turn.

* * *

"It was... Miss Peacock... In the kitchen... with the lead pipe!" Henry read off his notes. His mother's checked their cards.

"You win again, Kid." Emma said.

"Yes!" Henry put a Mark below his name. "Mom, it's almost dinnertime. Can we get Chinese?" They had played games all day, including an intense round of Uno that had nearly destroyed the coffee table.

"Of course. The usual?" Regina asked. Henry nodded. "Okay. Let's go." The games were cleaned up and the three of them drove over to get their dinner. By then, the storm had tapered down to a light drizzle and the thunder was just a soft rumbling in the distance. They sat in a corner booth and ate their food. Emma's orange chicken was so satisfying. It was so much better than the Panda Express she and Henry had gone to back when they lived in New York.

"So... I'm going to guess the Chinese food is another Henry tradition?" Emma asked.

"Yeah. Whenever it rained, we used to get Chinese food." Henry answered.

"And Henry used to ask for the '"Chinese spaghetti'." Regina laughed. "He couldn't remember the name for chow mein."

"I was six!" Henry shrugged.

After dinner, Emma and Regina sat on the porch in the backyard. It was protected by a roof, so none of the furniture got wet. They both had a glass of apple cider in hand.

"Regina?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think you'd want to get married again? Like, with me?" Emma asked.

"What are you saying?" Regina questioned.

"I mean, I'm not asking now, but I was thinking about it earlier. I thought it could be our future, but I wasn't going to make it a definite thing unless you wanted it, too." Regina looked in Emma's eyes.

"I would like that, yes. But maybe we not make it such a big deal like my last marriage. I'd like something simple, with only our closest family and friends."

"So basically, keep Snow away from the guest list?" Emma asked.

"Yes." Regina answered. Then a thought hit her. "She'd be my mother-in-law." An evil grin spread across her face. "Oh, how the tables will turn, Snow."

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Emma asked. Regina giggled.

"I spent ten years being forced to be her mother. Now, she'll have to be mine." Emma wrinkled her nose.

"That curse thing made everything weird." Emma remarked.

"But we'll make it better." Regina held onto Emma's free hand and smiled. Emma squeezed her hand and smiled back.

 **A.N.: My sister always cheated when we played games together. She ended up with two cars full of babies in Life because she kept begging to land on the baby spaces. She also used the same tactic to win at chess... I'm a pushover...**

 **Also, we used to always get Chinese food when it rained.**

 **One more chapter left!**


	8. Chapter 8: Summer's End

Regina examined the apple before carefully plucking it from the tree. It was almost fall; school had started already, but there were still a few days of summer left before fall officially started. Her apple tree was filled with perfect, red honeycrisps. She would make a good pie with them, not to mention her famous apple cider.

"Hey, babe. Need some help?" Emma asked as she got close to kiss her girlfriend.

"Depends. Can you do so without a chainsaw?" Regina quipped.

"Hey, I said I was sorry about that." Emma pouted. Emma reached for an apple and nearly tore off the entire branch trying to pick it. Regina stopped her and showed her a gentler way to do it. Emma blushed and apologized.

"Don't worry about it, dear. Just try not to rip off any more branches." The two of them picked each apple and dropped them into a basket.

"So what are we going to do with these?" Emma asked. "Pies? Cider? Non-poisoned turnovers? Oh! You need to make more homemade applesauce. Little Dude can't get enough of it."

"Your mother asked if I would make something for the Fall Festival on Saturday. I was thinking of making mini pies."

"That sounds great. Do I get first taste?" Emma gave Regina her best puppy dog look.

"We'll see. Now, how would you like to learn how to make the best apple cider you've ever tasted?" Regina asked with a grin.

"You want to teach me? Where do we start?"

* * *

The Fall Festival was held on the very last day of summer. It symbolized saying goodbye to summer and celebrating the coming fall season. There were booths set up, along with plenty of fall themed activities. Emma walked the line, looking at all the different foods made with pumpkin and apples. There were pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter. Finally, Emma found Regina's booth.

"Mmm... babe, these smell delicious! Can I have one?" Emma reached for one, but Regina swatted away her hand.

"These are $5 each. Do you have five dollars?" Regina held out her hand.

"Oh, come on! You didn't let me have one at home, can't I just have one?" Emma pouted.

"The money from these go to the high school. Either pay up or keep walking, Sheriff." Emma sighed.

"Fine." She fished out a five dollar bill and gave it to Regina. Regina's frown switched to her mayoral smile as she handed Emma a pie. The thing was no bigger than the palm of her hand. Emma felt like she got ripped off, by her own girlfriend no less! Emma took a plastic fork from the box nearby and took a bite. Her mood lifted immediately, it was so good! Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she moaned.

"Oh my God, marry me, woman." Emma groaned. Regina grinned.

"All in good time, dear." Regina replied.

Regina's pies sold out in record time, allowing her to close up her booth early and walk around the lot with her girlfriend. Emma was looking at one of the game booths when Regina grabbed her hand and nearly ran to the horse pen. The owner of the stables was giving horseback riding sessions for $15.

"Let's ride, Emma!" Regina exclaimed. The child-like energy Regina was giving off made Emma unable to say no. Regina paid for their session and instructed Emma on how to mount the horse. Emma was nervous, but followed Regina's instructions. Regina hopped on behind her and they took off, galloping across the empty field behind the festival grounds. Emma's heart was pounding, but she trusted Regina knew what she was doing. In fact, before long, Emma felt compelled to recreate that Titanic scene, even though they were on a horse. It felt like they were flying. Now Emma saw why Regina loved riding so much.

They slowed to a walk when they reached the woods and followed a path that Emma was familiar with. The trail snaked its way up to Firefly Hill. The motion of the horse beneath them, plus the feel of Regina so close to her had Emma feeling flustered and she wanted nothing more than to make out with her like a couple of teenagers. Emma would soon get her wish, because they made it to the top and dismounted. Their horse was secured to a post while they sat on the log seat. By now, the sun was setting, casting red and orange light over the trees. The lights in town were starting to turn on and the fireflies began to glow.

It was so romantic and the two women just couldn't resist each other. They leaned in close and their lips met in the middle. They got so lost in the other that, when they finally opened their eyes again, the sun had long since sank below the horizon. Emma was spellbound by the view of her gorgeous girlfriend haloed by the fireflies and the moonlight.

"Marry me, Regina." Emma muttered against Regina's lips.

"That's twice today you've asked me to marry you." Regina said.

"I can't help it. I can't imagine my life without you." Emma replied. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

* * *

The two soon returned to the festivities. They shared a warm meal and fresh pumpkin pie and played games, where Emma won Regina a cute stuffed owl. As they perused more booths, Regina realized she couldn't imagine her life without Emma, either. Being with Emma, her family, felt more right than anything ever had in her life. She held Emma closer to her side and kissed her cheek.

Meanwhile, Henry watched his moms from the top of the Ferris wheel. Seeing them together and in love filled him with a warmth that felt like Christmas morning.

"Operation Normal was a success." Henry said proudly to himself. He had his family, his mothers were getting their happy ending... All was well in their world.

 **A.N.: And so we reach the end of this fic. I hope you all enjoyed and thank you all who commented such sweet things! XO**

 **P.S. Homemade apple pie is the best thing in the world.**


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